Xu’s mother sobbed on the phone, gasping for breath, "Xiaoya, my daughter, I beg you, come to the hospital to see your father... your father has cancer. We’ve already spent thirty to forty thousand. Now, your brother and sister-in-law aren’t willing to contribute a single penny, insisting that your father should go home to recuperate. They say treating him would be a waste of money..."

"..."

"My dear girl, I beg you, those two heartless, cruel wretches... I knew we couldn’t rely on them, but I never imagined they could be this malicious. Your father refused to leave the hospital, so they simply went home and never came back to visit... Are we just to let your father wait to die in the hospital? Please, we have no one else to turn to but you... After all, he’s still your father..."

Xu Xiaoya hung up quietly. Before this, Xu’s mother had called seven or eight times, but Xu Xiaoya had never answered, unaware that her father’s illness was cancer and had already progressed to such a severe stage.

Yan Xixi, who heard everything clearly, sighed inwardly, "Fine, Xiaoya, let me accompany you."

Xu Xiaoya silently nodded.

In a small public hospital in this city, Xu Xiaoya saw her father. Hospitals in A Country were always the same: overcrowded and lacking beds. Xu’s father was sharing a ward with seven other people. The conditions were dire, and the summer heat brought with it a variety of offensive odors.

Upon seeing her daughter, Xu’s mother cried out in relief, "Xiaoya, you’ve finally come."

It was lung cancer. Yan Xixi quickly realized from the medical records that there was no hope.

Originally, it was an early-stage diagnosis, but his son and daughter-in-law were unwilling to spend the money, forcing the old man to wait for his death. After the relocation, the Xu Family received two million in cash and three properties, excluding Xiaoya’s share. Life had just started to look up, and naturally, the old man didn’t want to die. He insisted on being treated at a hospital in the provincial capital. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The son stayed with him for just one week. He saw the cost of the numerous imported drugs, money pouring out like water, none of which was reimbursable. Unable to bear it any longer, he made an excuse and left. The daughter-in-law, citing childcare responsibilities, never once showed her face.

Xu’s mother was left alone to manage everything. A simple country woman, in just half a month, she had become completely worn out and gaunt. Her lifeless eyes welled up with tears as she lamented, "All the money is with your sister-in-law. After spending more than thirty thousand, she’s not willing to part with another penny, insisting we have health insurance... But many expenses aren’t covered by insurance, and we still have to pay a large amount out-of-pocket. I only had a few thousand yuan left. I used it to pay today’s bill, and now only a few hundred are left for food..."

Xu Xiaoya asked coolly, "Why did all the relocation money go to them? Didn’t I tell you to keep some for yourself?"

"What could I do? You know your father’s temper. When your sister-in-law threatened to take the two grandsons, leave home, and file for divorce if she didn’t get the money, he got scared. He said money wasn’t important; continuing the Xu family line was what mattered most.

"Initially, I had a hundred thousand yuan stashed away, but your sister-in-law kept pestering. When she saw I wasn’t giving in, she craftily took your father on a trip to Mount Emei. Your father had his first hot spring bath, stayed in a five-star hotel, and was absolutely delighted. He said his son and daughter-in-law were incredibly filial and then pressured me relentlessly until I gave up that hundred thousand too.

"And so, all the money was swindled by those two accursed scoundrels! Now they won’t give up a single penny... Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy—each one costs a fortune. SIGH, this is truly agonizing..."

"..."